So everybody online has already pointed this out, but the release yesterday of a heavily filtered photo of Ben Affleck as Batman from the “Man of Steel” sequel sure looked like Frank Miller’s Dark Knight.
Photo above.
And the original art.
Here’s an ad I remember even if I didn’t have the product it advertised.
The Haunted House Mystery Bank looked cool in the ad and videos I’ve seen online suggested it was indeed cool. You place a penny in a particular spot and the doors open and a ghostly figure comes out and grabs the coin.
The bank was battery operated and made of metal, but I love the ad – which appeared in comics in the 1960s – itself. The artwork is cool and primitive and the copy is appropriately breathless and jokey at the same time.
Online sources indicate this was a “Disney Haunted Mansion” bank, but I’m not sure about that. Check out that ad. No mention of Disney. You’d think they would have marketed the product with the Disney name.
That price, by the way, separated a lot of us out of the possibility of buying this bank. How many kids in the 1960s had six bucks for something from a comic book ad? How many kids had parents who would let their kid send off six bucks?
I poured over comic books when I was a kid, memorizing not only the stories but artist and writer credits and even the ads.
This one pre-dated me – it ran in DC comics when the original “Adventures of Superman” series ran on TV, 1952 to 1958 – but it’s a nice example of cross-promotion in house ads.
And how nice that it steered people toward their daily newspaper.
There’s some amazing fan art out there these days. Some of it is from professionals who also happen to be fans.
Graphic designer Khoa Ho has released a series of moody black-and-white designs highlighting the origins and/or secret identities of Batman, Superman, Iron Man and the like.
Here’s his website.
I still remember feeling slightly amused and slightly insulted by the warning included in the printed program for an Indianapolis science fiction convention in the early 1980s.
It said, in effect, that just because a female attending the con was dressed like a character out of the Elfquest comic books – remember, this was a long time ago – that didn’t mean she was a piece of meat to be manhandled – well, fanboyhandled, really. Women at conventions might appear to be the flesh-and-blood embodiment of your fantasies, but They. Are. Not. Yours.
In effect, keep your hands – and your thoughts – to yourself, fanboy.
After my initial reaction to the warning passed, I realized that, yes, the warning was probably necessary. We were talking a few hundred young males who, in many cases, had little experience with the female of the species when she wasn’t on the movie or TV screen. As a young male who actually had met and talked with women and genuinely enjoyed them on every level – as equals, supervisors at work, romantic partners and partners in crime – I wasn’t the target audience for the warning.
Thirty years later and a cool and curious thing has occurred. Women make up a pretty good percentage of the fandom that has sprung up from movies, TV, books, comics and gaming. Some days it feels like they make up a slight majority of that fandom.
And while cosplay at conventions has moved well beyond elves in loincloths, the “hands off” warning still applies. The woman in the Power Girl outfit, complete with cleavage window, is not yours for the taking.
The controversy that’s broken out in fandom in the past couple of weeks is an outgrowth of that same stunted attitude on the part of some male fans, but frankly this attitude, this situation, feels more toxic than anything I’ve seen in decades.
Although there’s been a Neanderthal-ish attitude in online comments sections since the first sci-fi website was built, the especially poisonous vibe came after particularly apt criticism by writer Janelle Asselin of a Teen Titans comic cover. In an April 11 column on Comic Book Resources, Asselin noted several things wrong with this cover:
Not the least of which is the typical-for-comics-yet-absurd-fanboy-wetdream portrayal of Wonder Girl, whose rack is improbably huge and whose head is bigger than her waist.
So noted.
But, incredibly, Asselin’s critique was followed by a heaping, steaming load of bullshit from fanboys who, on various online soap boxes, insulted and threatened Asselin and her fellow female industry figures with everything from shunning to beatings to rape.
Of course these cowards wouldn’t actually be able to say or do any of this stuff in person. I’m sure it made them feel incredibly daring and manly to say it from their hunched-over, masturbatory stance in front of the Dell computers in their mom’s basement.
The whole thing set off a lot of back-and-forth and, happily, lots of people sprang to Asselin’s defense. Among the best of them was writer Greg Rucka, who wove a tapestry of insults and profanities aimed at the idiotic fanboys in question that still has me chuckling. Rucka’s rant was inspired in great part by this image:
The answer to that t-shirt – or at least one of them – is at the top of this column. I wish I could figure out who to credit for the image, but I first saw it on daggerpen.tumblr.com.
Who would not want the presence of women in fandom? Women are in most cases smarter than men. They aren’t the war makers, they aren’t the dominators and those who demean everyone around them to make themselves feel better. Their very presence elevates the level of any conversation, including those in fandom.
Or it should, anyway. If they aren’t so put off by ignorant comments online that they don’t avoid the conversation entirely.
So fanboys, grow the hell up or take your attitudes elsewhere. I can guarantee that you’re not going to win that online argument with a smart, driven fangirl. You’re not going to win the hearts and minds of fandom with your disgruntlement.
And you’re sure as hell not going to get Power Girl, or even that cute elf, to bend to your will.
I’m pretty sure Detective Comics No. 367 is not the most rare comic book in history. But it oughta be. I’ll tell you why in a minute.
This issue of Detective came out in September 1967, during an interesting time for Batman. DC had been plugging along with the character since the Golden Age by this point, but Batman saw a revitalization after the 1966 “Batman” TV series.
By September 1967, however, the show was waning. It would hang on until the spring of 1968, when the show was gone and Batman was left to his own devices.
The comic almost always – like a lot of DC, even in the years of improbable plots – had beautiful artwork. This cover wasn’t among the best – it’s credited to longtime DCers Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson – but it was pretty unusual in that it offered a jigsaw puzzle for readers to assemble to try to figure out that issue’s villain.
Here’s my question along the lines of rare comic books: I wonder how many kids would have cut up the cover of this issue to assemble the jigsaw puzzle?
I didn’t have this issue, but I know I wouldn’t have been able to resist the temptation to do so.
And thus would have been lost another copy.
Back with our occasional look at odd moments in comic books.
It’s easy to forget how crazy much of DC’s Silver Age was. Batman was fighting space monsters, Lois Lane was scheming to discover Superman’s identity – and marry him – and Superman was constantly falling in love with mermaids and the like.
Or getting fixed up, like in Action Comics 289, which came out in June 1962.
In a plot that could be adapted as a Kate Hudson romantic comedy, Supergirl, worried about her cousin Superman’s loneliness, keeps trying to fix him up. Potential mates include Helen of Troy and members of the far-future Legion of Superheroes.
Ultimately, Supergirl finds a perfect match for her cousin. And what the hey – she looks just like a slightly-older Supergirl!
Some feverish dreaming going on there, among fans and in the DC editorial offices.
I come to praise Les Daniels, not to bury him. But it turns out one of my favorite authors of comic book histories died and I didn’t even hear the sad news.
Daniels – who died in November 2011 at age 68 – is one of those authors to whose work I have returned again and again.
And no wonder. While he wrote fiction, his non-fiction work lines a shelf near by bedside.
In 1971, he wrote one of the early serious histories of comic books, “Comix: A History of the Comic Book in America.” He followed this up with some of the most readable “official” histories of comic book publishers and characters in print, including “Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics” in 1991, “DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World’s Favorite Comic Book Heroes” in 1995, and what I consider his best modern-day work, a three-volume history of DC Comics’ Trinity, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.
These three”Complete History” volumes were published in the late 1990s and early 2000s and, in addition to his clear and concise writing, feature some of the best design in comic book histories to that day. These volumes include covers by Chip Kidd, a star of the book design world.
Daniels was also an author of historical fiction and historical fiction with a supernatural bent.
There’s so much online – and so much crap online – about comic books these days, Daniels’ work seems – and is -authoritative and comprehensive and first-rate by comparison.
RIP Mr. Daniels.
So Warner Bros. has announced they’ve cast Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor in the “Man of Steel” sequel, the one with Ben Affleck as Batman. The one that’s called … well, we might know the official title around the time of Comic Con.
So Eisenberg as Luthor (matchup in the Entertainment Weekly illustration above.
What do we think of this?
Eisenberg will always be the sarcastic nerd hero of “Zombieland” and the sarcastic nerd billionaire-in-the-making anti-hero of “The Social Network” to me.
Do I want them to bring Kevin Spacey or Gene Hackman back? No.
But my image (and aural impression) of Lex Luthor just might always be the Bruce Timm version, voice by Clancy Brown, from the animated “Superman” and “Justice League” series.
I’m not sure Eisenberg can top that.
And Jeremy Irons as Alred Pennyworth? That’s fine. Nobody will top Michael Caine.
Here’s the WB press release:
Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Jesse Eisenberg has been set to star as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons will play Alfred in the upcoming Zack Snyder untitled Superman/Batman film. The dual announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
Snyder stated, “Lex Luthor is often considered the most notorious of Superman’s rivals, his unsavory reputation preceding him since 1940. What’s great about Lex is that he exists beyond the confines of the stereotypical nefarious villain. He’s a complicated and sophisticated character whose intellect, wealth and prominence position him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman. Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions.”
The director added, “As everyone knows, Alfred is Bruce Wayne’s most trusted friend, ally and mentor, a noble guardian and father figure. He is an absolutely critical element in the intricate infrastructure that allows Bruce Wayne to transform himself into Batman. It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious façade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne.”
Snyder’s film stars Henry Cavill, reprising his role as Superman/Clark Kent, Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince. The film also reunites “Man of Steel” stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.
The new film is currently being written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.
The film is set to open worldwide on May 6, 2016, and is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, Batman characters created by Bob Kane, and Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment.
Let’s play a game. We’ll call it “Superhero Casting: Yes or No.”
It’s inspired by the many, many casting rumors circulating online. Denzel Washington as Green Lantern John Stewart. “Girls'” Adam Driver as Nightwing. You get the picture.
So Marvel recently announced that Michael Douglas would be playing the original Ant-Man, Henry Pym, in Edgar Wright’s upcoming “Ant-Man” movie. Paul Rudd had already been announced, and it turns out he’s playing Scott Lang, the second-generation Ant-Man.
I’m kind of intrigued by the idea of a senior citizen superhero. If the speculation is correct and Pym – an important figure in the Marvel Comics universe and one of the founders of the Avengers – was a below-the-radar adventurer or SHIELD agent sometime between the time of Captain America and … reborn Captain America, that’s kind of interesting.
So I’m okay with a pivotal comic book figure being the subject of offbeat casting.
But then there’s the reboot of “Fantastic Four,” in which Fox seems to be going for a 20-something cast.
A few young actors, including Kit Harrington, are said to be in the running for Reed Richards, one of the brainiest men in the Marvel Universe and the father figure of the FF.
Sorry. This isn’t Reed Richards.
This is Reed Richards.
keithroysdon 